Bless the Child

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Tom Rickman, Clifford Green, Ellen Green

Paramount; R; 110 minutes

Release:

8/00

Cast:

Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Angela Bettis

The big-budget dark side of America's interest in spiritualism, angels, and self-help is a recent spat of Hollywood movies about Satan. Like a man caught in the grip of sin, the films are going from bad to worse. Quickly. Bless the Child has come a long way from Rosemary's Baby, although this movie conspicuously includes that and others (including Touched by an Angel and The Exorcist in its lineage.

Kim Basinger plays Maggie O'Connor. Her award-winning coolness comes off here as coldness, possibly vacancy. One day Maggie's junky sister arrive in town and hands over a baby. The star of Bethlehem hangs in the sky. Years pass. The child displays supernatural powers. The bad sister's cult leader husband returns seeking custody. Evil omens manifest.

This movie will probably make you feel bad, but in none of the intended ways. The flatlining script cobbles together clichés at an alarming rate. The actors themselves appear bewitched, waiting patiently for the director to snap his fingers so they can wake up and begin acting like humans again.